The LuLac Edition #2748, October 12th, 2014

THE MAJESTY OF GIVING

For the last month media consumers in Northeastern Pennsylvania have seen and heard about events in support of fallen State Trooper Bryon Dickson and his injured comrade Alex Douglass. But you don’t get a true appreciation for the fervor that people feel for this terrible chapter in our history unless you see it up close.
Saturday the Majestic Restaurant in downtown Pittston had an event that targeted 50% of its profits that day for the families of the two troopers. From 10am to 3pm, the place was packed with people ordering hot dogs, cheeseburgers, fries and other items that have made the eatery a virtual icon. There was a line out the door, and every table and stool was occupied. Waiting for order, I got myself a seat and watched the frenetic activity. If Gordon Ramsey saw the Majestic staff in action, he’d have nothing to bitch about.
During the course of the day, staff members from District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis’ office were on hand helping out along with guest servers Luzerne County Sheriff Brian Szumski Pa Game Commission Representative Patrick Dessoye, State Police Representative Gary Vogue, Chief County Detective Mike Dessoye, Leverage Fitness Studio Representative Tim Hlivia, Pittston Police Chief Robert Powers and representatives from the Pittston Police Force.
The DA herself was transporting the food from the grill to various tables and running herself from one end of the building to another. Her dad manned the grill and seemed planted there from the time I arrived until the time I left. He did opine at one point to me that he was a follower of LuLac and I thanked him. But there was no more small talk because the orders kept on piling up.
I ran into three people I haven’t seen in years. Sam Alba who has been such an activist in the Pittston Area Community for so long. We chatted about the Knox Mine work he did as well as growing up in Pittston. Then I saw a fellow classmate from St. John the Evangelist, ’72 John Casey McDonough. Barely touching on local politics, we got off on the subject of olives mentioning how our tastes had changed as we aged. It occurred to me that Sam, “Casey” and I had our first jobs in Pittston Area Supermarkets, Detato’s and the SuperSaver. As I was leaving I saw a neighbor of mine from The Junction, Anna Mae Copper O’Boyle. We chatted about the old days and I gave her an update on what was going on with me.
The place was packed with not only law enforcement friends and families but just folks who got out of the house on a dreary fall day to grab one of those great dogs but also to support the families in this worthy cause. People just want to do something. On Saturday in downtown Pittston they certainly did.
On the way out, I ran into a reader who recognized my picture from Face book. She said, “I thought you were an Abe’s guy, did you have one of the Majestic Hot dogs?” I told her “I’m an Abe’s guy because I was a Majestic guy first”. She asked how long the wait was and I told her kind of like Red Lobster on a week night. She headed toward the balloon festooned hub of activity. “Food's cheaper and better” she said. And so was the company and the cause.

This is a long shot of the crowd at The Majestic on Saturday afternoon.

Mr. Salavantis was slaving over a hot grill.

District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis consults with Deon Fernandez on scheduling.

The DA lent a hand with take outs too.

WISH I WROTE THIS

There have been thousands of words written about the incident involving the state troopers the last month. But the best came from Scranton Times Tribune columnist Chris Kelly regarding the suspect and his fantasy military life. Here's what the Times Tribune Columnist wrote: 
I’ve known guys like you, wannabe mercenaries who cut their tough-guy teeth with “Call of Duty” on PlayStation and graduated to paintball. Most who play these games know they’re pretending. For a few, the lines blur with ugly consequences.
A dear friend I lost touch with almost 20 years ago was obsessed with military history. He could choreograph every battle back to Hannibal. He got his girlfriend pregnant and joined the Marines. He lasted about a week after learning that being a Marine requires a commitment few can honor. His daughter was raised by another man.
Like yours, my friend’s fantasy was no match for reality.
Cpl. Bryon K. Dickson II, the man you stand accused of murdering, was a Marine. He didn’t play soldier. He lived it. Semper Fidelis isn’t just a slogan.
If you really wanted to go to war, the past dozen years presented plenty of opportunities. Why didn’t you enlist? With your skills, you might have been deployed as a sniper. Then again, military life offers no guarantees. You might have ended up in a situation where your targets shoot back.
It must have been hard to be 31 with no job and living with mom and dad. Everyone thinks you’re a loser and you are helpless to present any evidence to the contrary.
So you flip the script. You’re not the problem. You are marooned in a world that doesn’t register your worth and spins only to keep you down. Whatever evil you do, the world has coming. In the end, thinking people will see you were justified.
No, they won’t. There is no defensible reason to take an innocent life. This truth is the spine of society. It does not care to know your grievances, real or imagined.
This is the best take on this horrible situation so far. Wish I wrote it.

WE MAKE 20/20 AGAIN!!!

Former school teacher Lauren Harrington Cooper. (Photo: Times Leader).

So the other night something unprecedented happened in the LuLac Living Room. Both Mrs. Lu Lac and I were yelling at the TV as the former Wyoming Valley West School Teacher was interviewed by ABC’s 20/20. All of the local news personalities made an appearance in the report. The Citizen’s Voice reporter Bob  Kalinowski was edited out of the piece. That was too bad. But this has not been Luzerne County's first rodeo on 20/20.
But what got us both going was the snarky demeanor of Lauren Harrington Cooper was just awful. That squeaky little girl voice did not cut it as far as I’m concerned and her use of the word “alleged” after she was convicted was mystifying. The first unanimous shout back to the TV came when Harrington Cooper blamed the victims. Her husband’s defense of her was admirable but at one point I was waiting for it to sink in that she was charged more than once with the same thing. Apparently it didn’t.
What blew us away was the admission by her that she didn’t think her behavior was a big deal and that she was shocked that what she did was a crime. We both screamed this at The Sharp, Aren’t school teachers usually the first line of defense against child abuse and predators? Don’t they have training classes on this? I usually don’t watch things like this because I know the outcome but I’m glad I did view this. It only reinforces my belief that the right decisions regarding this predator were made.

HILLARY IN PHILLY FOR WOLF

Tom Wolf and Hillary Clinton at big event in Philadelphia Thursday night. (Photo: Associated Press).

Tom Wolf, the Democratic candidate for Governor exhibited his usual self effacing persona when he said to the more than 1,000 people packed into the Constitution Center that he wasn’t the reason why people came. Even though he did send invites to many of his supporters for the event featuring Hillary Clinton. The former First Lady, Secretary of State and United States Senator warmly greeted the nominee for Pennsylvania Governor and then got down to business.
Clinton seemed to mirror Wolf’s campaign message of protecting the middle class. Her speech seemed to shed the automatic responses and robotic motions of will she or won’t she. Clinton’s message was that you could wish for something to happen over and over again but if you don’t get out and vote, nothing will happen. “From my perspective, you can’t count on things turning out the way you want it, unless you get out and work for it, right? she said.
Wolf who is leading in the polls has been telling voters that nothing is a done deal. He has been urging the Democratic faithful to not be complacent but to get to the polls on Tuesday November 4th.
Clinton praised Wolf for his work ethic, his business success story and the way he treated his workers that helped build his business. Observers say it was a win win for both Wolf and Mrs. Clinton but did suggest this was the Presidential aspirants strongest articulation of how the Democrats can reach a middle class in desperate need of rebuilding.